Characters

The cast of Pericles, Prince of Tyre

The people who make Pericles, Prince of Tyre move — what they want, who they love, who they hate, and how each one fits the story. Tap any name to read more.

Unnamed daughter (incestuous partner)s

Antiochus

King of Antioch; incestuous tyrant whose sin drives the plot · Middle-aged or older

Husband of Dionyza; father to Philotens

Cleon

Governor of Tarsus; a well-meaning man undone by his wife's ambition

Wife of Cleon, governor of Tarsus; mother to Philotens

Dionyza

Ambitious wife of Cleon; driven by envy to attempt her stepdaughter's murder

Noble house of Tyres

Helicanus

Lord of Tyre; Pericles' counselor and regent; voice of wisdom and loyalty

Daughter of Pericles and Thaisas

Marina

A princess of virtue whose eloquence and moral force transform those around her · Fourteen (approximately)

Thaisa (wife); Marina (daughter); Antiochus (antagonist; not blood relation)s

Pericles

Prince and King of Tyre; a man undone by knowledge and restored by grace · thirty-six (approximate; sixteen-or-so at play's opening, sixteen years pass)

daughter: Thaisas

Simonides

King of Pentapolis; wise ruler and benevolent father · mature

father: Simonides; husband: Pericles; daughter: Marinas

Thaisa

Princess of Pentapolis; wife to Pericles; priestess of Diana · young adult (marriageable)

Other characters

The Bawd

Operator of a brothel in Mytilene; trafficker in human flesh

Lysimachus

Governor of Mytilene; a man of honor tested by virtue

Boult

Procurer and enforcer for the brothel; a man willing to exploit Marina for profit

Cerimon

A learned lord of Ephesus; physician, natural philosopher, and healer who restores life through knowledge and compassion

First Fisherman

Poor fisherman and unlikely savior of a shipwrecked prince

Leonine

Hired assassin; reluctant instrument of Dionyza's murderous envy

Second Fisherman

A pragmatic fisherman of Pentapolis who rescues the shipwrecked Pericles with rough-hewn kindness

Gower

Medieval poet and chorus; frame-narrator and moral guide

First Gentleman

Witness to miraculous recovery; observer and voice of wonder

Pandar

Brothel operator and procurer; a cynical businessman indifferent to moral consequence

Second Gentleman

Witness to miraculous restoration and moral transformation

First Lord of Tyre

Nobleman and counselor to Pericles; voice of Tyre's concern

Thaliard

Assassin sent by Antiochus to kill Prince Pericles

Third Fisherman

Comic observer and moral voice among the fishermen of Pentapolis